Pfizer Factory In North Carolina Damaged By Tornado

JAKARTA - Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced on Wednesday that its factory, located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States, one of the largest sterile injection product facilities in the world, was badly damaged by a tornado.

A company spokesman in an emailed statement confirmed that Rocky Mount's facility was being damaged while the company was assessing the situation to determine its impact on production.

Employees of companies at the site were successfully evacuated and in a safe state, the statement added.

While citing AP, the roof of the facility was torn open. Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said Pfizer's factory kept a large number of discarded drugs.

"I received reports of 50,000 drug pallets strewn across the facility and damaged by rain and wind," Stone said.

Separately, Erin Fox, senior pharmaceutical director at the University of Utah Health said the damage "is likely to cause long-term shortages, while Pfizer is working to move production to other locations or rebuild."

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service said in a tweet the damage was consistent with an EF3 tornado with wind speeds of up to 150 mph (240 kph).

It is known, the facility, which produces nearly 30 percent of all sterile injections used in hospitals in the US, also focuses on manufacturing various products such as anti-infection, neuromuscular inhibition, and bottles and syringes.

According to the Pfizer website, Rocky Mountain facility employs more than 4,500 professionals.